In The Know: Aspirin Can Protect Older Women Against Melanoma

Thursday, March 14, 2013

A new study has shown that taking a low daily dose of aspirin may prevent melanoma (skin cancer) in older women. Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine in Palo Alto, CA analyzed data from nearly 60,000 postmenopausal Caucasian women who enrolled in a 12 year follow-up study.

Researchers found that during the 12 years, women who regularly used aspirin had a 21 percent lower overall risk for developing melanoma compared with women who did not take aspirin. Medical student Christina A. Gamba discovered that taking aspirin regularly less than one year reduced melanoma risk by 11 percent. Taking aspirin 1 to 4 years resulted in 20 percent lower risk, and taking it five years or more resulted in 30 percent lower risk.

Aspirin’s anti-inflammatory properties may have played a role but Ms. Gamba is currently reanalyzing the data to see if anti-inflammatory activity or another mechanism is responsible for the aspirin takers’ reduced risk of skin cancer. Thirty-two thousand women in the US will be diagnosed with melanoma this year and the disease will kill 3,120.

Keep in mind that signs of melanoma can begin with an irregular shaped mole that changes in color and size. Always cover up your skin and wear sunscreen. And for areas that you cannot reach, such as the middle of your back, use the SunBuddy Lotion Applicator. If you wish to add aspirin to your daily regimen, be sure to speak to your doctor first.